Plaskitt hands over the reins after two decades
After 36 years, the passages at Willowmoore High School will no longer resonate with the cling-clang of Kennia Plaskitt’s keys, a sign of pending authority for learners who heard it from a distance.
Plaskitt has retired from education after 36 years as a teacher and 20 years as principal of the Benoni South school.
Before starting at Willowmoore, she taught at Boksburg High School, which she had attended as a learner.
“I obtained my teaching qualification at a college in Leyds Street, Johannesburg,” Plaskitt said.
“After that I went overseas for about a year, teaching in the UK and the US.
“When I returned to South Africa, I went back to Boksburg High School, as a teacher.”
Plaskitt said she stopped teaching for a while after her children were born.
In 1981, she returned to the profession, this time as a biology teacher at Willowmoore High.
She progressed to being appointed as the school’s principal in 1996.
“I continued studying while I was at Willowmoore, obtaining my Master’s degree in education and building my career in the school itself,” the Crystal Park resident said.
“The school gave me opportunities to grow as a person; it was never boring.
“I never thought of leaving the school – it’s too exciting, challenging and dynamic.
“There are wonderful staff at the school.”
Plaskitt is proud of what the school has achieved.
“I’m proudest of the fact that we got to send well-balanced young men and women out into the world,” she said.
“It is still a school of excellence, proving government schools can offer great education at affordable prices.
“The school does well in sport and academics and regularly stages drama productions. It also has a marimba band, a choir and the largest Interact club in Africa.
“After the end of apartheid, many people were afraid of change, including the effects it would have on schools, but we embraced it and the school remains a centre of excellence.
“We believed it was important to have a mix of staff, in terms of race and religion, which meant we could work together to solve different issues.
“The school will continue to do well; there is a good system in place, the learners are disciplined and polite, the grounds neat and tidy and the teachers, wonderful.”
Besides the school, the Girl Guides formed a large part of the retiree’s life.
“I’ve been involved in guiding for the past 40 years,” she said.
Now that she’s no longer working, Plaskitt says she feels restless: “It felt strange not being at school today,” she said on January 11, the first school day of the year.
Her husband, Mervin, has been retired for some years and the couple now plan to do more travelling.
“I’ve travelled overseas enough and now want to see more of South Africa,” Plaskitt said.
“I want to just pick a random spot on a map and go there, no bookings, nothing.”
Plaskitt said she wouldn’t mind doing some principal mentorship, although not anytime soon.
“Now I have to relax and recharge. You don’t realise how stressful work can be until you’re not there any more.”
The 66-year-old recalls how the keys which she wore around her neck would act as a warning sign to learners who were up to mischief.
“The kids always thought they could get away with something, but we always caught them,” she jokingly said.
Lorna Sanders has taken over as the acting principal of Willowmoore High School.
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